Signs
by captainvegemite
Summary: Sharon's keeping a big secret. Set a week before 3x11 (Down The Drain) - Shandy. Rated T for minor swearing.


**A/N: Hey guys! This is a story I had to write for English last week - had to be about a discovery of some sort (stupid HSC) and my stimulus was a key. It's set the week before 3x11. **

**Hope we get some decent Shandy action in 3x13!**

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><p>The day she revealed she was finally ready also seemed to be "Make Andy Flynn's Life Fucking Difficult" day.<p>

The coffee machine in the break room freaked out and sprayed foam all over my navy blue tie, the air conditioning in the office was on the fritz – and to top it all off, Sharon was acting really weird. Not like "Rusty is sick" or "my shoes broke" sort of weird – but as if she had a secret so big, she was bursting at the seams to tell someone.

At 11:00am on the dot, her office door opened slowly and she emerged into the blue-walled Munder Room, white teacup in hand, having shed her navy blue blazer due to the heat. Her bell-sleeved white dress flowed down to her usual black stilettos, the usual staccato following her footsteps. Her auburn hair was down today, framing her face and swishing lightly as she moved, also hitting the side of her glasses.

She seemed to catch me staring, her cheeks going a shade of pink as she moved to the cool confines of the hallway; she looked back over her shoulder, eyes meeting mine, as if to say "I want to talk to you".

I swear that woman could break hearts with a single look.

The fact that Provenza murmured "idiots" as I passed his desk going out the door didn't even register until much later. Poking my head out the door to see if the coast was clear (provoking a slight giggle from Sharon), I shoved her up against the wall and kissed her breathless.

Shoving me away slightly, she gave me a look so soft and loving I was going weak in the knees. My hair may be greying, but the mere fact she can do that to me is a sign that I'm not as old as my daughter seems to think I am. Taking my hands in hers, I felt something cool against my hand, not cold enough to freeze me solid but enough to make me stop in my tracks.

As soon as the metal hit my palm, I knew there was something greater she was trying to tell me.

But a key? What the hell am I supposed to do with a key?

Considering the fact that access to the LAPD building is with a key card, I had no idea why Sharon would hand me a damn poor excuse for metal that would definitely break at the earliest contact with a lock. Rusted with age, the ornate head brushed against my fingertips as I rotated it in my palm. I looked up into her waiting green eyes, her gaze soft as she seemed to study my reaction.

"Andy, please, this is important to me," she sighed. Her gaze dropped to the floor as she seemed to deflate. She tapped her fingers on her hip in subdued impatience.

It makes me wonder how often she's had this argument over the years. It's not exactly a secret that her slimy maggot of a husband was less than faithful to her – the mere fact he ran off to Vegas twenty years ago with their cleaned-out savings account should have been a bit of a sign. Nevertheless, they're only legally separated - damn Catholics.

"Don't worry; I'll keep it safe for you."

The words escape my lips before I get a chance to think. What the hell am I getting myself into? I mean, I trust her completely and all, but this is insane. Her face lights up like Christmas morning (absolutely beautiful as usual) and she moves in to wrap her arms around my neck.

She gives me a lingering kiss goodbye, humming the entire time. Straightening her hair and glasses, she takes a step back and clears her throat.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," she nods – clearly back to being Captain Raydor and not Sharon.

She sashays down the hall in her four-inch heels, her perfectly curled auburn hair flipping behind her, acting as if nothing just happened. God, that woman.

She's going to be the death of me someday.

Shaking thoughts of Sharon out of my head, I look down to the dingy item in my hand.

That's when it hit me.

This is the sign.

She's finally divorced.

And she's just given me the key to her heart.


End file.
